EastEnders fan-favourite Lacey Turner has opened up with heartfelt honesty about how the ongoing cost of living crisis is affecting her and her growing family. Despite her successful two-decade run as Stacey Slater on the BBC soap — a role reportedly earning her between £150,000 and £190,000 a year — Lacey says her household, like many across the UK, is feeling the pinch.

The 36-year-old actress recently welcomed her third child, a daughter named Gipsy, in January, joining her older children Dusty (5) and Trilby (3), whom she shares with husband Matt Kay. Speaking candidly about her family’s financial reality, Lacey explained that rising prices and inflation aren’t just media headlines — they’re impacting real people from all walks of life, including those in showbiz.

“You do what you can,” she reflected. “If you strip everything back, we’re all the same. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in — broker, hairdresser, gardener — we’re all facing the same struggles daily.” Her point? No one is immune to economic pressure, regardless of income level or job title.

In her conversation with MailOnline, Lacey described a now-familiar shock at the checkout: “I look at my shopping bill and think, when did that go up? What would be a £70 shop suddenly becomes a £120 shop. And you go, ‘Oh my God, I’m not buying them again.’” The massive jump in everyday expenses has become a sobering reality, even for someone with a steady income from primetime television.

Lacey’s message is also about compassion and understanding. While the financial strain is real, she emphasizes the emotional toll of feeling judged or misunderstood based on superficial assumptions about wealth or stability. “Some people earn more money than others, but everyone has different kinds of problems. You cannot judge people you don’t know — you never know what another person is going through.”

Her reflections come during a period of immense change and pressure in her life, both professionally and personally. Just weeks after giving birth to baby Gipsy, Lacey returned from maternity leave to take part in the emotional, live episode of EastEnders — where she filmed key scenes for Martin Fowler’s departure storyline. It was a move that highlighted her dedication to the show, even as she navigates new motherhood.

In fact, Lacey has always been refreshingly open about the highs and lows of motherhood, once calling it “the hardest job I have ever done in my life” — but also the most rewarding. She told The Sun: “It’s changed me because it makes you see everything differently. It highlights what’s important and what isn’t. I think I’m much more chilled out now I’m a mother.”

Despite this laid-back approach, she admits to still experiencing the universal parenting guilt that so many mothers feel. “Somehow we manage to juggle everything and everyone, and yet we still feel guilty for certain things,” she added. “Until you’ve done it, you can’t understand how challenging it is — yet so rewarding.”

Her latest revelations also come amid reports that soap stars are exploring side hustles and brand deals to supplement their income — a clear indication of how financial pressures are affecting even the most recognisable faces on British television. Over at Coronation Street, there have even been tensions within the cast regarding who gets access to these external income opportunities.

Elsewhere, other public figures in the entertainment industry have shared their own stories of financial struggles, including brushes with bankruptcy or failed business ventures — further underscoring Lacey’s point that financial hardship can touch anyone, regardless of perceived status.

Beyond the screen, Lacey and her husband Matt — childhood sweethearts who married in Ibiza in 2017 — have built a life focused on family. When they announced her third pregnancy, they did so with a beautiful beach photo, holding an image of the ultrasound scan. It was a moment of quiet joy during a time of growing uncertainty in the wider world.

Looking ahead, Lacey seems intent on continuing to use her platform not just for entertainment but also for raising awareness and promoting empathy. In an era where celebrities often present highly curated, aspirational lifestyles, her honesty about rising bills and grocery shock is refreshingly grounded. She’s not just playing a relatable character on TV — she’s living those relatable challenges in real life.

As she returns full-time to EastEnders and balances the demands of work and family, Lacey’s candid approach to life in the spotlight serves as a reminder that behind every familiar face is a story of resilience, struggle, and shared human experience.

Would you like a follow-up title or summary for another EastEnders-related article?